The rest of the albacore tunas had levels that warrant just one serving a week, and children shouldn’t have albacore at all.Īll but one of the light tunas in our tests had levels low enough that CR’s experts think that, assuming no other fish is consumed, adults who are not pregnant could eat three 4-ounce servings a week, and children could eat two 1- to 4-ounce servings (depending on age). None of the albacore tunas in our tests had levels low enough for an adult to have three servings a week and only one, Bumble Bee Albacore, had levels that would allow two weekly servings. For example, Chicken of the Sea’s albacore had 10 times more mercury than its light tuna, but mercury levels in Wild Planet’s albacore and skipjack tunas were very close to each other. While mercury levels in our test were higher in albacore than in light tunas, some brands had a much larger variation than others. And 18 percent said that they didn’t know that canned tuna has any mercury at all. About half of Americans said they did not know that different varieties of canned tuna have different levels of mercury. That albacore has more mercury than light tuna is well-known among scientists and seafood experts, but CR’s recent survey found that it may be news to the average consumer. But the disparity was quite wide: The albacore products had three times more mercury, on average, than the others. That’s not surprising, since albacore is larger and lives longer than the tunas that make up the light tuna or skipjack tunas. One big takeaway is that albacore has much more mercury than light or skipjack tuna, regardless of the brand. While these tests represent a snapshot and are not inclusive of the entire market, they provide insight into what consumers may experience at a moment in time when eating these brands of tuna, and underscore the importance of making safer choices in their daily routines. All the tuna products came packed in water, which was drained before testing. CR tested three samples of each product, from different lots, for a total of 30 samples. In CR’s tests, we looked at 10 products over all, including two varieties from each of the five tuna brands: albacore, which comes from larger tunas and tends to be more expensive and light tuna (including skipjack), which comes from smaller tunas. (Note that 4 ounces is the amount in a typical 5-ounce can of tuna the remaining ounce is water or oil.) Under the FDA guidelines, those vulnerable groups could eat up to 12 ounces (3 servings) of light tuna or 4 ounces (1 serving) of albacore per week, assuming they ate no other fish. In 2017, the Food and Drug Administration issued new, stricter guidelines about which fish are recommended if you are or could become pregnant. But it’s of particular concern for pregnant people, because the developing brains and nervous systems of their babies are particularly vulnerable to mercury, Rogers says. In high amounts it can even be harmful to adults, causing problems with fine motor coordination, speech, sleep, and walking, and prickly sensations. Too much of it is harmful to children, whose bodies and brains are still growing. So that’s why mercury contamination is such a concern in this particular fish. Canned tuna is the only seafood in some people’s diets. Tuna isn’t the biggest fish in the ocean, of course, but it’s one that is extremely popular and eaten very often by kids and adults of all ages. The more small fish those big fish eat, the more mercury builds up in their bodies. A rule of thumb is that bigger fish tend to have higher mercury levels than smaller ones, because they are higher up in the food chain. It’s both an element found naturally in the environment and a byproduct of manmade pollution. Mercury is found throughout the ocean, and is present to some degree in every kind of fish you could choose to consume. (Note that the type of tuna in pouches is the same as what’s in cans, but we did not test pouches.) Light and skipjack varieties, for instance, contain much less mercury on average than albacore tuna. We found a wide range in mercury levels between types of tuna as well as among different brands. adults, and about 10 percent eat it at least once a week.īut tuna, like many other types of fish, often contains mercury, which can be toxic to adults and is of particular concern to children, infants, and, especially, pregnant people.īecause so many people eat tuna, and because of its potential risks, CR tested five popular brands of canned tuna for mercury: Bumble Bee, Chicken of the Sea, StarKist, Safe Catch, and Wild Planet. About a third of Americans eat it two or more times a month, according to a November 2022 nationally representative Consumer Reports survey (PDF) of 2,185 U.S. Cheap, convenient, and full of protein and essential omega-3 fatty acids, canned tuna is a classic staple in kitchen cabinets, delis, and school lunchboxes across the country.
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